Time to Reflect

Reflective light is light bouncing off one object or surface onto another. In this example, the sunlight is bouncing off the ground plane warming the shadows that face downward.

As the height of the cactus becomes too far away from the reflective light of the ground plane to reach there begins a shift from warm to cool in temperature within the shadow shape.

Soon, the cooler blues and blue-violets reflected from the sky above will influence the color temperatures within the shadows.

Title: Desert Texture
Painted on: Centurion Linen Painting Panel.
Medium: Oil
Dimensions: 12x12 inches.

Hot or Not

In case you didn't know, Arizona can and does get incredibly hot during the summer months. Sure, it's a dry heat, but after awhile hot is hot, and one can stand only so much air conditioning, so a lot of residents here are "snowbirds" and only stay during the cooler more agreeable parts of the year.

Those of us who are full-time residents break up the summer by taking shorter vacations a little closer to home. That being either traveling north to the Grand Canyon or further into Utah or Colorado. Others choose to head west into California.

I was fortunate to visit both California and the Grand Canyon this summer.  I will be sharing more paintings and photos with you from these trips in future posts.

Pictured above is yours truly working hard on location at a fantastic location overlooking Laguna Beach. Since moving, it's been a few years since I had been to a beach. The salt air and dynamic coastline were rejuvenating spiritually and artistically.

I was excited to explore this area because Laguna has a long history of plein air painting attached to it as well as being associated with some powerhouse California Impressionist painters such as William Wendt, Franz Bischoff, and Edgar Payne.

The painting I'm working on in the photo just needs a few minor foreground adjustments before I would call it finished. When I complete the painting, I'll be sure to talk more about it in a future post.

In the meantime, I'll continue working in the studio until the summer heat gives way to the fall air.

New Beginnings

Click here to purchase.

"New Beginnings" was painted en plein air at the White Tank Mountains, Arizona. The warm glow of the morning light was the inspiration for this painting. Each layer of this scene helps support the overall mood.

The strategy for this piece was to work from background to foreground. Morning and late afternoon light change very quickly. Knowing this, start with the areas of the scene that will disappear in moments.

First, the sky is laid in followed by the mountains and hills.

Adding incremental amounts of detail and contrast to each layer. The values and color temperature of the background elements set the tone for the entire painting.

With the stage set, the cactus and foreground can be fully realized.

Title: New Beginnings

Painted on: Ampersand Gessobord

Medium: Acrylic

Dimensions: 8x8 inches

Status: Available

Wondering Eyes

Like it or not, we need to consider composition every time we begin a new painting. The composition is about arranging shapes in a pleasing manner within your picture.

Master artist: Edgar Payne wrote the book on composition called "Composition of Outdoor Painting." It's a must have book for any landscape painter. In it, he goes on to describe and illustrate 15 standard blueprints to build a composition. I won't list them all here but will point out how I incorporate his principals in my work.

A stable composition can engage a viewer, and a weak one won't demand any attention.  One can welcome a viewer into a painting, and another can become a road block or quick exit rushing them along to see someone else's work in a gallery.

The use of unequal distribution of shape and value are essential to creating interest. Strategic placement of brushwork, shapes, edges and contrast control how the viewer's eye travels within a design.

Dividing a space into thirds is an easy but efficient way of placing a center of interest/focal point. (Shown above).

The eye can bounce from one object to the next like a ball in a pinball machine. The goal is to design shapes that don't allow the viewer an easy exit. (Shown above).

To simplify, this can fall under Edgar Payne's "O" structure. (Shown above).

Title: Best Seats
Painted On: RayMar Archival Panel.
Medium: Artist Quality Oil.
Dimensions: 8x10 inches
Status: Available

What's your plan? Part 2

Picking up from last weeks post - Another popular method among plein air painters as well as studio artists is to develop the entire painting all at once. The artist tries to mix the best average value and color temperature for each shape in the scene then progresses onto giving each shape more recognizable three-dimensional forms. This method allows the artist to monitor the painting as a whole and can make mistakes easier to catch and correct early on.

The grisaille has been an approach that has stood up over the centuries. It allows the artist to fully separate value from color by first completing a painting in monotone. Typically, this tonal underpainting is left to dry fully. Then the addition of color is applied in opaque or transparent layers over the corresponding values already mapped out by the underpainting. This method does add one more step to the process and may not be the optimal choice in fleeting light situations.

Since there isn't a single best or any hard fast rules here, you can combine different approaches if you wish. The important thing is to have a plan before laying paint to canvas. Your strategy choice should reflect the working scenario presented and what makes sense to you at the time.  

Composing the Urban Landscape

Occasionally, I like to challenge myself by entering plein air competitions. The painting above titled 'Northview' is a result of a local one-day event that was held in Glendale, AZ. Producing a frame ready painting within a restricted time limit is the actual challenge of these events. In this case a 16x20 inch in about a 3 hour period.

Naturally, the desert has been my main source of inspiration since relocating to the southwest. An urban setting like this was a nice change of pace and reminded me of subject matter that I would frequently paint out on the east coast.

What attracted me to this particular scene is the strong verticals of the lamppost, telephone poles and street sign. Making this an ideal reverse "L" compositional design. Example below:

The elbow of the reverse "L" creates a natural sweet spot to place the focal point. The dark patch of grass to the left of the white structure attracts more attention to the focal area by contrasting values; light against dark. The foreground shadow shapes and property walls create radiating lines pointing directly to the focal point. Example below:

Title: Northview
Painted on: Fredrix Archival Canvas Panel.
Medium: Artist quality oil.
Dimensions: 16x20 inches.
Status: Available.

Autumn Lake - SOLD

Here’s another plein air painting from the same location as my last blog post.

Medium: Artist quality oil
Painted on: RayMar linen panel
Dimensions: 6x6 inches

2011 Cranford Plein Air Event - Concluded

Out of 150 beautiful paintings entered into the Cranford Plein Air Event, my painting “Dinosaur of Nomahegan” was the first sale of the evening! My painting of Ellis Island was also sold shortly after.

There was a very strong list of participating artists; a great show all around and a welcomed turn out of art collectors arrived Saturday night lifting everyone’s spirits after a long week of painting in record heat. Thank you to everyone who stopped in to show their support.

2011 Cranford Plein Air Event - Continued

The Cranford Plein air event is nearing an end. The Pre-Sale Gala opens tonight and tomorrow (Sunday June 11, 2011) the show is free to the public. Click here for more info and show hours: http://www.jcas.org/HOME_page_Cranford_Plein_Air_20.html

I shared my first painting entry in my previous post. The following are my final two entries for this event. I actually painted 4 and a half total; one was started late in the evening and requires another painting session to complete. The other turned out very nice and I will post that one soon.

Water Under the Bridge; Oil, 6x12 inches

Painted at Sperry Park, Cranford NJ. On one of the hottest days of this summer.

 

Dinosaur of Nomahegan: Oil, 8x10 inches.

Painted at Nomahegan Park, Cranford NJ.

This one calls for some explanation. I spotted this fun subject in last years plein air event but I ran out of time to paint it. This dinosaur is set on giant springs as part of a playground activity for children...okay, so I may have hopped on it myself when nobody was looking.

I simply appreciated the humor of the subject. Also, after watching some of the other artists in this event paint the more predictable (yet still, very well painted) around the town subjects I just couldn’t pass up painting the Dinosaur of Nomahegan. After hearing a “That’s so cool!” from a kid zipping by on his BMX bike as I was well into this painting I knew I was on the right track.

If you’re in the Cranford area this weekend, stop in to see the show before it ends Sunday.

Artist At Work - SOLD

This is my second painting created during the Cranford Plein Air Event. In the tradition of artists painting artists, I felt this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. Here is my painting of fellow artist Frank Costantino diligently working on his painting of the Cranford Canoe Club.

 

Medium: Artist quality oil.

Painted on: Artist quality linen.

Dimensions: 9x12 inches.

The Chestnut Street Monster

It’s funny how some subjects seem to just pop-up and wave at you to get your attention. I found this cute graffiti monster while searching for a new painting location during last weeks Cranford Plein Air Event. I painted everything but the chain link fence in one sitting and returned the following afternoon to finish it up.

Medium: Artist quality oil.
Painted on: Artist quality linen.
Dimensions: 9x12 inches.

In Full Bloom - SOLD

There was no missing this vibrantly colored azalea bush contrasting against all the greens of the wooded area in which this was painted. I purposely did very little color mixing in the “warm/hot” tones so as not to risk loosing the intense saturation of this subject. I used a limited palette of 4-5 colors for this painting: Cad yellow, Permanent Rose, Permanent Alizarin, Viridian and a touch of Cerulean Blue.

Medium: Artist quality oil.

Painted on: Artsit quality linen.

Dimensions: 9x12 inches.

Paint Out: New Hope - Best in Show!

My painting " The VanSant House" - the oldest building in the town of New Hope, PA won Best in Show this past weekend at the Paint Out: New Hope 2nd Annual Plein Air Competition. The competition was hosted by the BOI’s of New Hope Gallery located on 9 W. Mechanic St. in New Hope PA. All of the paintings created by the participating artists will be on display at the gallery through July 2009.

Medium: Oil.
Painted on: Fredrix Archival Canvas Board.
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches.

Tuckerton Seaport Plein Air Competition Winner!

My painting “Tuckerton View” won first place at the Tuckerton Seaport Plein Air Competition this past weekend!

The weather was on our side and there was a great turnout of artists for the event. The location offers many picturesque views including charming maritime scenes to vast marshlands. Click here to learn more about Tuckerton Seaport.

Medium: Artist quality oil

Painted on: Fredrix Archival Canvas Board

Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches

American Artist Showcase: NJ Winner!

My plein air painting "Sunny Path" is one of the top five winners in the American Artist Showcase Your State: New Jersey 2009 category!

Medium: Oil
Painted on: Archival Canvas Board
Dimensions: 8x10 inches